Hello listmembers
Some of you may remember that (about 3 weeks ago) I posted a message about
one of my gerbils potentially having diabetes. I said I would let you all
know what the specialist said, so here goes...
OK, firstly, testing the amount of sugar in the urine is not conclusive. In
order to be certain a blood sample must be taken. This would involve
sedating the gerbil and taking blood directly from the heart. This is a
very risky procedure and the vet would not recommend it unless the gerbil
was very sick. The specialist also said the sugar in the urine could be
indicative of kidney failure rather then diabetes. Again, the blood test
would determine this but it is too risky and too stressful for the gerbil.
The specialist suggests and injection of anabolic steroid - if it is a
kidney problem this will help and should stabilise the metabolism and
prevent further weight loss. My gerbil has lost about 1/2 oz but he doesn't
seem to be continually losing. If however, the condition is diabetes the
steroid injection will not help but it will not harm the gerbil.
The most important thing I was told is to remove all oily seeds (especially
sunflower seeds) from the diet, and this will also help to stabilise the
gerbil's condition.
My gerbil is still fit and active with no progressive weight loss, so
fingers crossed - at least I'll know what to do if he does get sicker. I
hope this information might help some of you others should any of your
gerbils start displaying similar symptoms.
Best wishes to all,
Arabelle
